Building on the Complementarity Consensus

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The Open Society Justice Initiative is proposing steps to the members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that we believe would strengthen the ability of more countries to try international crimes domestically.

In this submission to the eleventh session of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, we argue that supporting domestic justice for international crimes—the principle of complementarity—multiplies potential venues in the fight against impunity, while also strengthening the rule of law at the national level.

The submission includes a number of recommendations for governments, donors and the ICC staff, including more state engagment, more active public education and increased efforts to identify and overcome political barriers to local trials.